


Dragons Heart and Soul

by ItsRaith



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Bumbleby - Freeform, Cool ass wizards, Dragons, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:34:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24570112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsRaith/pseuds/ItsRaith
Summary: Blake Belladonna, Daughter of Chief Ghira Belladonna, has spent her years hunting down creatures threatening her future kingdom. But after the betrayal of her partner, how will she cope with her next hunt, The Golden Dragon
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 2
Kudos: 68





	1. Treason

Blake dismounted her horse, Shroud, and led her to the stables beside the Belladonna household. The darker wood combined with the rising moon would have left her blind if not for her enhanced vision. She left her horse with hay and ensured the trough was filled before moving towards the house.

She knocked the door knocker three times before entering. It was a code set up between her and her parents after they believed she was an intruder after her first hunt. 

The young cat faunus barely had the door closed before being tackled by her mother.

“Blake!” She cried. “You were gone for so long. We thought something happened.” Kali tightened her grip before letting go. She looked into golden eyes, concern growing from the pain that stared back at her. “What happened?”

Blake wandered over to the couch, waving her hand for her mother to follow. Once she was comfortable and her mother was seated, she spoke.

“It’s Adam.”

Kali frowned at her daughters now small voice. “What happened? Is he okay? Did something happen to him?”

“It’s a long story. You know we were sent to Patch to find and eliminate that witch…”

~~~~~~

Blake returned to the town of Patch, having Adam order her to split up to speed up the search for the witch. Having consulted the locals, they learned the name Cinder, and a rough estimate of location. Nearing the local tavern, Blake asked the barman if her partner had returned before she had.

“He came by earlier, but he didn’t stay long. He left a note for you.” He grunted, handing over the sealed letter, marked with an unknown wax seal. 

_Blake._

_Meet me at the location where I saved you from the Beowulf in the Emerald Forest._

_-Adam_

She scowled as she read the note. _Saved? It never even stood a chance. You just killed it before I did._

She thanked the barkeep and left the tavern. She kept Shroud in the local stable as the terrain was too rough and inconsistent for her horse. She traversed southwest, past the fallen elder tree, then headed east once near the castle.

As she walked, she looked up at the sky, the moon shining brightly over the land with no clouds to block its light. She wandered until she came to a split waterfall, the river that fed it splitting at the top of the cliff just before dropping.

“Adam.” She called out, hand resting on the hilt of her katana, as she searched the area for her partner.

“Hello, darling.” Adam spoke as he emerged from the trees. Blake's eyes narrowed at the pet name.

“Adam.” She relaxed, hand moving from her hilt to rest at her side. “What’s so special that you had to drag me out for.”

Blake watched as a smile grew across his face. The sight of it made her grow uneasy. It gave off an aura that didn’t feel friendly.

“Strength and Power of course.” His smile didn’t falter, as he raised his arms as if showing himself off.

“What do you mean?”

“I have made a new ally.” 

Blake's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she watched Adam. She noticed his eyes shift slightly, going from looking at her to looking just passed her. Blake flicked around to find an amber eyes ravenette, her features similar to Blakes. A bit taller and no cat ears.

“You must be Blake.” She spoke with a certain sense of superiority. “Adam has spoken of you … often.”

“And who are you exactly?” Blake questioned the stranger as she moved slightly, preparing herself so that she was ready to move into a defensive position quickly.

“Where are my manners? I am Cinder Fall.”

“The witch.” Blake accused, not even attempting to hide the bitterness in her voice.

“Yes. I am the witch.” Blake watched a smirk form across the young witch’s lips. Her left ear flickered back as she heard Adam move. She listened carefully, tracking his movements by the leaves crunching beneath his boots as he walked up and stood beside the witch.

“She can give us power Blake. Power and strength that will make us unstoppable.”

“Something like that doesn’t sound good.” Her gaze shifted from Adam back to Cinder. “And always has a high cost.”

“All _you_ need to do is stand aside tonight.” Cinder spoke calmly, pointing to the cat faunus.

“You want the village.” Blake stated, knowing that it wasn’t a question.

“Yes. So it would be wise to _stand aside.”_

“No.”

“Blake!” Adam shouted. “You will do as I say, and you will agree.”

“It’s still no.” She hissed. “And _Adam._ If you join her, you will be an enemy to Menagerie.”

Blake watched as Adam’s face morphed into one of anger, and noticed the shifts in his body language. He was going to attack.

Before he could, Blake left a shadow clone behind as she warped a short distance away. Using the small distraction, she ran back the way she came.

Upon reaching the town, she ran to the inn, startling the barkeep as she charged into the hall. 

“The witch, she's planning on attacking the town tonight.” She all but shouted to the barkeeper.

The barkeep stared at her, likely stunned by her sudden appearance before shaking his head slightly and speaking. “Oh shit, you’re serious.” He turned around and shouted into the cellar behind him. “Qrow, we’ve got to get ready. She’s coming.”

A raven haired man stumbled up the stairs, a bottle of wine in his hand. “I fuckin' told you. But no, ol' uncle Qrows just seeing things while drunk. Lets hire a huntress to check things out.”

“Just gather the locals. Gather the fighters and shelter the rest.”

  
  


~~~~~

“I was able to warn the town in time. They were able to gather enough fighters to hold off the witch enough for her to give up, especially with my assistance.” Blake looked up from the table, having locked her eyes on it during the entire retelling of her story. 

“What about Adam?” Kali’s voice was barely a whisper.

Blake’s hand fell to her hip, covering the scar that now resides there. “I don’t want to talk about it, but we both left scared.”

“Oh Blake,” Kali leant over, wrapping her daughter in a side hug. “At least you're home now. Ghira will be thrilled to see you.”

“Thanks mum.” Blake melted into her mother’s embrace, the exhaustion of her latest adventure finally taking its toll. “I’m going to head to bed. Fighting witches and losing partners is kind of tiring.”

Kali watched as her daughter stood up, letting out a small chuckle as she climbed the stairs towards the bedrooms. She didn’t know everything that happened between Blake and Adam in Patch, but she knew that her daughter wasn’t taking it well.

She could only hope Blake would come out stronger.


	2. Errands

“Ooooh Blaake,” Kali sang into her daughter's room. “Time to wake up.”

Blake let out a groan, rolling over under her sheets as she glared at her mother.

“Can’t you just let me lie here and die in peace?” she grumbled, voice rough from sleep.

“Maybe, but the inner mother in me still had to wake you up at a decent hour.” Kali spoke as she strolled into the room, opening the blinds. “Besides, your fathers making breakfast. You know how much he misses you when you’re out.” The older faunus sent her a soft smile.

“Now you are just guilting me into getting out, aren't you.” Blakes smile gave away her faked annoyance.

“You have no proof of that.”

Blake sat up, leaning on her arm as she poorly stifled a yawn. “I'll be out in about five minutes.”

Kali gave her a smile and a nod before closing the door, leaving Blake back on her own. With a small thump, she flopped back down and let out a soft sigh. Straight back to it, I guess.

Blake mustered the energy she needed to climb out of bed, leaning back as she stretched out. She glanced out the window, a sigh of relief coming as the dark storm clouds from yesterday had retreated, promising a sunny clear day ahead. After a few more seconds of taking in the view, Blake stumbled over to her wardrobe, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Thank gods I can wear something that isn’t armour,” the brunette mumbled to herself. Her leather armour had served her well, a gift that she received from her parents when she began hunting. Maybe she should speak to the blacksmith about some new armour.

Looking through the wardrobe, Blake retrieved a white blouse, along with a black button up vest. With those clothes replacing her sleeping gown, she reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a set out white trousers. Once dressed, she retrieved a small dagger, running her thumb across the belladonna emblem engraved across the blade just above the hilt, sheathed it and left the room, heading for the kitchen.

“Ahh, there's my little cub,” Blake was immediately greeted with the gravelly voice of her father as she graced the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey, dad,” Blake wavered, accepting the hug from her father. Although she did miss him greatly, she did dread having to explain the recent events circulating Adam again. Once was enough.

“Don’t worry dear, your mother already explained what happened,” the large man whispered to his daughter, tightening his hold on her. Blake let out a sigh of relief as she looked over at her mother.

“I didn’t think you’d want to have to go through it all again,” she spoke softly, giving the younger faunus a small smile as Blake mouthed a ‘thank you.’ “I hope you two are hungry, because breakfast is ready.”

Blake looked down at the plate in front of her. It had been a while since she had a proper breakfast, so she stared at the meal hungrily. On it was a serving of scrambled eggs, a few strips of bacon and several slices of fruit. It didn’t last long.

“Someone’s a little hungry,” Kali teased, earning a light shove from her daughter. “Got any plans today?”

“A few,” Blake nodded, looking back at the plate thoughtfully. “I need to speak to Pyrrha, tell her of Adam’s banishment. Also going to visit Ruby, she said she had been working on a new sword for me, and I want to discuss a potential for new armour. Then, stopping by Jaune’s just to get checked and finally meeting up with Sun and Ilia like I promised them.”

“You know sweetie, you don’t have to work all the time,” her mother spoke softly, looking over to Ghira. “You’re _father_ does that enough already.”

“You’re mother’s right Blake,” the man's chuckle faded, a small frown forming. “We do have one more thing for you, but after that I need you to promise me, Blake, that you will take some time to rest.”

“But-,” Blake tried to argue, but cut herself off when her father raised his hand.

“Please,” her father pleaded to her, quickly dismantling her will to argue. “I know how much you want to help, but, the guards can protect the people while you recover.”

After letting out a deep sigh, Blake nodded knowing this was not an argument she could win.

“Alright,” she breathed. “What's the next job?”

“I will go over it with you tonight,” he replied as he stood up, taking his plate to the sink. “I have to tend to a meeting soon.” He kissed his wife and daughter on the head, before retrieving a parchment and leaving.

“Like I said, never stops working.” Kali giggled, causing Blake to join in. “And before you ask, no I don’t know what it is.”

=================================

Blake wandered down to the barracks, as one of the guards would know where Pyrrha was located. As she entered the building, she thanked the gods when she saw a bright red haired woman, clad in steel armour that would protect her, but allow her to stay mobile, short sword at her hip, speaking to a blonde man in casual clothes.

She walked up to the duo, the blonde noticing her arrival.

“Hey Blake, you’re back!” Jaune called, waving over to the young huntress. 

“How did the witch hunt go?” The redhead asked, turning to greet Blake, a signature smirk plastered on her face. 

“Hello Jaune, Pyrrha. It's good to see you,” she nodded as she greeted them. “That’s actually what I’m here to discuss.”

“And here I thought you just wanted to visit some friends,” the blonde chuckled, before looking around. “And where's Adam? Usually he was always with you when in town.”  
  


“I’ll just be blunt,” Blake spoke, her eyebrows narrowing slightly. “Adam sided with the witch. He is now an enemy. Under no circumstances is he to be granted back into the kingdom.”

Pyrrha watched her friend carefully, failing to miss the small flinch when discussing the now disgraced hunter. 

“How are you holding up Blake?” 

“I’m good, but thanks,” she quickly replied, causing the other two to share a worried glance. “That’s all I wanted to say,” she began to turn around, “and hello of course.”

As she left the keep, a small sense of regret grew in her mind as she reflected back through the previous year. Over time, her trips to visit friends had slowly decreased as Adam persuaded her into believing that she had better things to do, namely be with him.

Lunches with Ilia, spars with Pyrrha, reading with Ruby all slowly become near non-existent in her life because she believed she had to train, to hunt. Like _he_ wanted her to.

Her mind cleared as she came across the scent of freshly baked cookies and coal, letting her know she was near her next location. A small shack equipped with a cluttered forge came into view. Ruby was out front, cooling down her latest creation in a barrel of water. By the looks of it, it was the head of a scythe. 

Ruby gave her a quick glance, likely checking whose footsteps she could hear, before doing a double take and nearly dropping the blade.

“Blake,” the smithy shouted, carefully placing her project down before barreling the faunus with a hug. “I heard what happened! I was so worried.”

“I’m alright Ruby,” she chuckled, patting the shorter girl on the head as she returned the hug. “A little beat up but still kicking.”

“If I ever see him, I’ll kick his ass!”

“What would you do, bake him to death?” 

“Keep teasing me and I won’t give you your gift.” Ruby poked her in the ribs, already walking towards her workshop. She pointed at a stool before heading inside. “Wait here and close your eyes.”

Ruby returned with a sword, wrapped in a black cloth. Blake unwrapped it and found a sheathed blade. It was a katana styled weapon, similar to the one she used currently. She gave it a few test swings, happy with its balance.

“It's fantastic Ruby,” she smiled, as she had a closer look at the blade. It looked like steel, but had an orange tint to it. “What's it made of?”

“Dragon Steel,” Ruby claimed, Blake turning to her with surprise.

“How did you get that?” 

“I know a gal,” she said like it was nothing. She continued on as if she hadn’t just used the rarest material on a sword. “It weighs about the same as your old sword, but will not be broken by anything. It could hold up the kingdom if balanced correctly. Oh, and your sheath can be used as well, if you need something to parry off attacks. I give you, Gambol, free of charge.”

Blake stood in silence, Ruby rambling on about the finer characteristics of the hilt. She ran her fingers along the blade, before sheathing it at her hip.

“Ruby, I - thank you,” she whispered, grabbing the other girl into a hug. “It’s amazing, but I can't accept it for free.” Ruby giggled, picking up her earlier project.

“Blake, that weapon will save lives. That's enough for me.”

“Fair enough,” sometimes Blake forgot just how selfless the younger girl could be. “But, I do want to discuss new armour. And I will pay for it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, an update! Insert the surprised Pikachu meme here.
> 
> So I actually have an outline of how the story is going to go, so maybe I will actually stick with this one more rather than running all over the place


	3. Target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning home, Ghira and Blake meet about her next target

Blake watched the children running through the streets, pretending to be hunters chasing after prey. A small smile crawled onto her face as she watched a young fox faunus stop dead and help a brown haired girl after she tripped and fell.

Watching the antics brought back memories of similar games with Sun and Ilia, joined by Jaune and Pyrrha. Her smile wavered as red hair and the reason it stop trailed through her mind. How she went from chasing after Sun with Ilia because he stole her book to duelling Adam because she needed to be better. Because he  _ said _ she needed to be better.

Looking back, she could see everything wrong with whatever relationship she had with him, but at the time she had been so caught up in his charm, his motivation, his fire, that she had been blinded. Blinded to the point where the thoughts running through her head were more his than her own.

“It’s good to see you back.” 

The sudden voice derailed her train of thought, as she followed the voice to find Sun, dressed in his usual open shirt and torn at the knees slacks. 

“It is nice to be back behind city walls again.” The cat faunus replied, giving Sun a gentle nudge.

“That's not what you meant.”

“I know.” Blake sighed.” It's good to be back.”

And it was. Each step she took felt far lighter than any from a month ago. She was able to speak her mind, make her own choices without fear of retaliation and it was  _ liberating. _

She forgot what freedom felt like.

“So, what's the big bad huntress’ plans now she's in civilisation,'' Sun teased. Blake didn't even have to look to know he had his cheeky grin out.

“Plans to escape, return to hermit life.” Blake replied, copying her friend's cheeky attitude. “I reckon I could take the guards and be free before sun fall.”

That got a laugh, Sun smacking her shoulder as he doubled over.

  
“Oh boy,” He chuckled between bouts. “I’ve missed you.”

The two continued to discuss what happened in her absence. Blake gave Sun a sad smile before bidding him farewell, as they were now several houses past his house. 

Blake climbed the stairs of the porch out front of the Belladonna household, chuckling softly as she collected her mothers discarded mug and book from the rocker out front. She traced the spine of the book, reading the cover.  _ ‘The Man With Two Souls’ huh? I’ve been recommending this to her for months.  _

Blake entered the building, quickly smothered by the warmth of the fireplace and the scent of the salmon Kali must have been cooking. She approached the kitchen, placing the book by Kali’s usual spot at the dining table before joining her mother in the kitchen.

“Hey Mum,” Blake spoke as she gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “What’s for dinner?”

“Welcome home, my little cub. “Kali replied, giggling softly as Blake glared at the name. “I'm making smoked salmon. Should be ready in about 10 minutes if you wanted to speak to your father.”

“Alright, I assume he is in his office.”

“That man is build into that room I swear.” Kali spoke, waving a spatula with her words.

Blake thanked her mother, stealing a piece of tomato from the salad as she left for Ghira's office. She knocked on the door, entering after she heard a quiet “come in.”

“Blake,” he bellowed. “You’re home. Please come in and close the door.”

“Hello dad,” she greeted, pulling out the armchair opposite her father as she glanced over the report covered desk. “Busy day?”

“Ugh,” the man groaned, rubbing the sides of his head. “Several outposts have spotted signs of Atlesian and Mistralian scouts. They’re getting paranoid.”

“Well, Atlas does hate us, so I think their fear is justified.”

“Yes, but our relation to Atlas is my concern.” Ghira leant back, a troubled look crossing his eyes. “Let's discuss that hunt.”

“Yeah, you said there was a job for me.”

“I did,” he sighed. “We have gotten several reports of attacks on roads between towns. Mostly, between here and Mistral, and sometimes Patch. Did you hear anything about it while you were there?”

“Not really. The people there only really spoke of the witch. Never mentioned any attacks. Could it have been the witch?”   
  


“I doubt it, as the attacks were apparently from a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

“I know, it is a big hunt. But honestly, I’m not entirely sure that it's real. Dragons haven't attacked people unprovoked in centuries. So, either they struck first, or someone has a very powerful attack dog.”

“I’ll look into it.” Blake spoke up, grabbing her fathers attention. “A bartender, Qrow, mentioned something to his friend about dragons being snotty. He's probably a good lead. Do you have a map of the attacks? I may be able to triangulate its nest.”

“Now, most of the attacks have been along the main road between our kingdom and Mistral.” Ghira rolled out a scroll, spreading the document across the table.   
  


Blake studied the map her father laid out, memorising the red crosses where the attacks were reported. 

“There isn’t much out there, honestly.” Ghira sat back down in his chair, stretching his back with a sigh. “There's an old keep, you remember the fort of the fang?” The man looked up at his daughter, continuing after her nod. “ It hasn’t been used in decades, I doubt it's liveable really.”

He leant forward again, and pointed to a seemingly random bit of the forest. It was between the main road and the mountains, by a river. 

“We also believe that a clan of bandits is camped up around here. If bandits have themselves a dragon, I’d have to close the roads.”

“If there is a bandit group out there, that's where’d they be. Close enough to the roads to be able to attack travellers, but far enough to be completely out of site, even with a campfire. The river would supply fresh water and fish, and there are a plethora of wildlife on the mountain.”

Ghira sat back, watching his daughter as she dumped information on him. He felt a sense of pride, watching as Blake proceeded to explain that if there was a dragon, it would likely nest at either of these locations. 

“-and all known attacks appear to occur between the two spots, so-” Blake continued, until she was cut off by the sound of hinges creaking lightly.

“Ghira, Blake, dinners ready.” Blake announced, golden eyes peeking past the door. “The big bad monster can wait.”

Blake stood, stretching back as her joints rejoiced from being freed from the cramped chair. “I’ll leave tomorrow. Should be there by afternoon.” Ghira gave her a concerned look. “And then I’ll rest. Promise.”

“I know. You need it. I wouldn’t send you, but Mistral’s behaviour has been strange lately.” Ghira rubbed his forehead, moving towards the door. “I don’t want to send a battalion, there's enough tension already.” A smile crept onto his face when they heard Kali threaten to drag them out. “Let’s go, before Kali becomes the bigger threat.”

She knew that her body needed to rest, that her mind needed to recover. But if there really is a dragon, then people are in danger.

And Blake would always put her people first.


End file.
